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Modern Hinduism has constellated the doctrine of the purusārthas in ways unknown to classical Hinduism. Given the Hindu-Buddhist encounter in classical India, the fact that several different religious systems may try to define what is meant by dharma as a purusārtha is not unprecedented. Where modern Hinduism faced uncharted waters becomes clear when we ask the question: What are the goals to be achieved by society (samājārtha) as distinguished from the purusārthas? Another significant question is: What happens to the goal of dharma if events take the course as predicted by Hendrik Kraemer?...

Modern Hinduism has constellated the doctrine of the purusārthas in ways unknown to classical Hinduism. Given the Hindu-Buddhist encounter in classical India, the fact that several different religious systems may try to define what is meant by dharma as a purusārtha is not unprecedented. Where modern Hinduism faced uncharted waters becomes clear when we ask the question: What are the goals to be achieved by society (samājārtha) as distinguished from the purusārthas? Another significant question is: What happens to the goal of dharma if events take the course as predicted by Hendrik Kraemer? Artha and kāma are fully acknowledged as goals of human endeavour, a fact that strongly negates the concept of Hinduism as a life-denying religion. Dharma has been suggested as the pre-eminent category among the four purusārthas. This is because artha and kāma must be pursued subject to dharma while moksa can sometimes be subsumed under dharma.